Thunder D Leads to Season Sweep of Jazz 98-89

In their 98-89 victory, the Oklahoma City Thunder out-hustled and out-muscled the Utah Jazz for the fourth time this season, earning a season sweep. (The Washington Post)

Story of the Game

The Oklahoma City Thunder completed their regular season revenge tour with a 98-89 victory on the Utah Jazz’s home floor, cementing their 4-0 sweep of the season series.

After being outplayed by the underdog Jazz in last year’s playoffs, the Thunder clearly looked to send a resurgent message in each game this season. Tonight they did so with the dominant defense, particularly at the perimeter, that has marked their year to this point.

The Thunder harried Utah at every corner of the floor, routinely trapping Donovan Mitchell as well as Utah’s other key offensive drivers, Joe Ingles and Kyle Korver, off of every pick. The strategy was helped by the absence of two Jazz point guards, starter Ricky Rubio and backup Raul Neto. While Dante Exum finally returned from an ankle injury after 25 games, he was clearly rusty, going scoreless in 14 minutes of play.

Without those ball handlers to help relieve pressure, the Jazz’s motion offense stalled repeatedly throughout the game. As Utah’s only capable shot creator, Mitchell tried his best to generate enough offense for his team to mount a comeback and managed a notoriously difficult 25 point, 5 assist, 5 steal night.

But it was far too little with the Thunder’s athleticism checking the Jazz offense at every turn. Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors combined for only 13 shots as Oklahoma City packed the paint. Meanwhile, the Thunder’s long and athletic perimeter defenders over-matched Utah’s skilled but physically inferior wings Ingles and Korver, who combined to score only seven on 14 shot attempts.

The result was only 89 points scored by the Jazz at home on a night where they ate a sweep at the hands of the team they eliminated from the playoffs last season. The Thunder had it in mind to send Utah a message this year, and tonight they finished that missive with an exclamation point.  

Stars of the Game

Superstar:Donovan Mitchell (25 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, 1 block, 3 threes, 6 free throws)

Mitchell did his best to drag Utah’s stilted offense along, especially in the second half where he scored 16 points. This after scoring 27 in the second half versus Memphis — unfortunately to the same result. The second-year star is facing double teams off of every screen and three and four defenders when he darts into the paint. He’s shed the early season struggles of his sophomore season to manage a sterling campaign, but he simply needs more help creating shots for Utah’s offense.

Secondary Star: Royce O’Neale (17 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 5 threes) and Rudy Gobert (15 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 4 blocks, 5 free throws)

O’Neale was the only Jazz perimeter player not named Mitchell to contribute on offense, nailing five of Utah’s 13 made threes. He also led a team relying on makeshift rotations with 40 minutes in tonight’s game. But it was obvious that as well as O’Neale played, the Thunder weren’t going to adapt their defensive scheme that was gumming up the works all over the floor elsewhere. 

Gobert fought through one of the toughest matchups for him in the league in Steven Adams to notch another double-double, 15 points on only eight shots, and four blocks. He also held Adams to three offensive rebounds, which given the New Zealander’s determination and strength is an achievement. Utah’s defense on the night was good, but nowhere near dominant enough to compensate for their stymied offense, and unfortunately that dynamic is one Gobert simply doesn’t have the skill set to change, good as he is.

Secret Star: Derrick Favors (5 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block)

While Favors wasn’t the game-changing force he has been in a number of other recent contests, he did continue to anchor an elite defense in the absence of Gobert. In Favors’ 22 minutes of play, the Thunder managed an anemic 79.2 points per 100 possessions.

Stats of the Game

13 – Point advantage for the Thunder off of turnovers, which compensated for their own mediocre offense.

8 – Field goal attempts by Paul George, who only made two. His 10-12 night from the free throw line salvaged what was perhaps his least assertive offensive game of the season. The Jazz would have taken that stat line 100 out of 100 times going into the game.

43.8 – Utah’s effective field goal rate. In games where the Jazz have an EFG% below 46, they are one and 10.

24 – Points by Dennis Schroeder in 30 minutes of play. 

Sundries

• If a team has long athletes up and down the roster, checking Utah’s offense really isn’t that complicated. First, pack the paint against Utah’s screeners rolling to the rim and Mitchell’s penetration. Second, deny the ball so it can’t swing side to side and sticks in one place. Third, attack Korver off screens, making him a distributor or penetrator. And four, lock up Ingles with an athletic and smart defender, such as George, who can trouble him one on one. Memphis has used similar strategies to bedevil the Jazz this year, and the scheme earned the Thunder a sweep. Given the Jazz roster, the formula is really hard to overcome unless they’re drilling threes well (particularly Jae Crowder).
• A lot has been said about Mitchell’s potential as a primary ball handler, but tonight was a great example of the limitations of that approach. Frankly, Utah needs a second player who can create with the ball in his hands to position on the weak side of the court. That way, when defenses sell out to check Mitchell, a quick pass cross court can create opportunities for that second shot creator. This is why Rubio will be the bellwether for this team. When he becomes that second player able to create his own points and assist others, Utah will be hard to beat in the playoffs. When he doesn’t manage that, it’ll be really hard for the Jazz to score enough points to win.
• This Thunder team is so much better than last season. Subtract Carmelo Anthony and insert Schroeder and more time for Jeremi Grant and you have removed the fatal defensive weakness the Jazz punished in the playoffs last year while improving offensively. If George can get back to his MVP form, this is probably the most dangerous team in the West this side of the Warriors. 
• Exum looked like he’d missed 25 games. He stepped out of bounds twice in the first half and fumbled an easy rebound out of bounds as well. In the second half his defense was a notable contribution, however, so he at least has something to build from going forward.
• It may be time to reexamine O’Neale’s place on this team. He’s likely the team’s best wing defender and, shockingly, has a better shooting percentage from three than either Korver or Ingles. Now, he’s taking fewer shots and getting much easier looks, but still, that’s an invaluable combination in the NBA. With teams going ever smaller across the league, it might be worth the risk for Quin Snyder to experiment with some of his own miniaturized lineups featuring O’Neale, perhaps even at the four. Nearly every three Crowder takes is with the nearest defender four or more feet away, yet he’s still only making one in three attempts. That’s really poor for a stretch four taking so many open shots. Given his strength and toughness, perhaps O’Neale could offer a different dimension. Whatever the manner, the Jazz would be wise to get O’Neale more run than his 20 minutes per night this season going forward.

After the huge wins over Denver and Milwaukee, Utah had to be looking at this game as a chance to roar up the standings for a shot at the third seed in the West. Horrendous losses to the Pelicans and Grizzlies, combined with tonight’s fourth straight fall to Oklahoma City, has the Jazz sitting in eighth and playing poor basketball.

They’ll need to change that against the resurgent Suns on Wednesday in Phoenix.